WWE 205 Live
WWE 205 Live, also simply called 205 Live, is a live professional wrestling WWE Network series produced by WWE, which exclusively features the promotion's cruiserweight division, wherein all participants are billed at a weight of 205 lbs. or less. The show premiered on November 29, 2016, and airs following ''SmackDown Live'' on Tuesday nights. ''Talking Smack'', which previously held the 10:00pm eastern time slot, moved to 11:00pm eastern following the debut of 205 Live until Talking Smack's cancellation in July 2017. In September 2018, the show moved to Wednesday nights at 7:00pm eastern time, just prior to NXT, and is no longer "live", with tapings occurring on Tuesday nights prior to SmackDown's live broadcast. On January 13, 2019, it was announced that the show moved back to Tuesday nights at 10pm and will air live. It was later announced that the show will move to Friday nights at 10/9 C on WWE Network following SmackDown's live broadcast on FOX. History The show specifically features the wrestlers who competed in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament and others who have become full-time members of WWE's cruiserweight division. As described by WWE executive, producer, and wrestler Paul "Triple H" Levesque, the program is designed to serve as a showcase for the division, with its own distinctive feel and style compared to other WWE programming. The Raw brand was originally established as the exclusive home of the division during the 2016 brand extension, but following the premiere of 205 Live, the cruiserweight wrestlers appear on both Raw and 205 Live, as well as making occasional appearances on NXT. The show premiered on November 29, 2016; the main event of the inaugural episode saw Rich Swann defeating The Brian Kendrick for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship (2016). On November 7, 2017, the United Kingdom Division was invited to 205 Live. This would be the main roster debuts of most of the UK Division with the exception of Pete Dunne, who debuted the previous night on Raw. In January 2018, Triple H took over the creative side of 205 Live. The first of the changes under Triple H was announced on January 23, with Daniel Bryan announcing that the first 205 Live general manager would be announced the following week. The GM was revealed to be Drake Maverick (formerly known as "Rockstar Spud" from Impact Wrestling). He announced a 16-man tournament for the vacant WWE Cruiserweight Championship, which was won by Cedric Alexander. Once the tournament begun, WWE's cruiserweight division began to wrestle exclusively on 205 Live and ceased to appear on Raw. In September 2018, due to the second season of WWE Mixed Match Challenge, 205 Live went from a live format airing post-''SmackDown'' to a pre-taped format (being taped before SmackDown goes live) and airing before NXT on Wednesdays at 7:00pm eastern. On January 15, 2019, the show moved back to Tuesday nights at 10pm eastern and airs live again. Just prior to NXT moving to the USA Network, NXT head Triple H spoke with Newsweek on September 10, 2019 and was asked about 205 Live becoming part of NXT. Triple H said "You'll start to see 205 begin to". He said that 205 Live's talent will start to move towards NXT, that 205 Live had "become lost in this limbo", and that the Cruiserweight Championship would have more meaning on NXT where it could create more opportunities for the cruiserweight wrestlers. Other on-air personalities External links * WWE 205 Live on Wikipedia Category:WWE Show Category:World Wrestling Entertainment television programs